In March of this year, goods worth 2.7 billion euros were exported, which is 12.4 percent more than in the same month last year, while imports amounted to 3.4 billion and were 3.0 percent less than in March 2022. , the Republic Institute of Statistics announced today.
Calculated in dollars, exports amounted to 2.9 billion dollars, 8.3 percent more than a year ago, and imports 3.6 billion dollars, 6.6 percent less than in the same month of the previous year.
In the list of the top five products exported in March, the first place is occupied by the export of sets of conductors for aircraft, vehicles and ships, the second place belongs to the export of electricity, the third place is the export of copper ore and concentrate, followed by the export of new outer tires for cars and the export of parts and accessories for motor vehicles.
The list of the first five Imported products shows that natural gas is our first imported product, second is the import of crude oil, in third place is the import of medicines for retail sale, followed by the import of electricity and lignite.
Foreign trade exchange
Serbia’s foreign trade in the first three months of this year amounted to 16.7 billion euros, which is 6.8 percent more than in the same month last year.
From January to March, goods worth 7.3 billion euros, or 15.8 percent more than a year ago, were exported, while imports amounted to 9.4 billion, 0.7 percent more than in the same period last year, so the deficit amounted to 2 ,1 billion, which is a decrease of 30.7 percent compared to the first three months of last year.
The coverage of Imports by exports is 77.6 percent and is higher than the coverage in the same period of the previous year, when it was 67.5 percent. Expressed in dollars, the exchange for January, February and March amounted to 17.9 billion, which represents an increase of 1.7 percent compared to the same months of 2022.
Goods worth 7.8 billion were exported, 10.3 percent more than in the same period of the previous year, and imported for 10.08 billion or 4.1 percent less than a year ago, so the deficit amounted to 2.2 billion dollars, which is a decrease of 34.0 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
The largest foreign trade exchange was with the countries with which Serbia has signed free trade agreements, the members of the European Union accounted for 59.3 percent of the total exchange, and our second most important partner is the CEFTA countries.
Observed individually by country, the largest surplus in exchange was achieved with neighboring countries, with Montenegro, where the most exported electricity and medicines for retail sale, and the most imported electricity and dried meat, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the most exported electricity and motor gasoline, and imports electricity, coke and semi-coke from hard coal.
Industrial production in March increased by 0.9 percent
Industrial production in Serbia in March was higher by 0.9 percent compared to March 2022, and compared to last year’s average by 10.5 percent.
Industrial production in the period January – March 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 was higher by 2.5 percent, the current seasonally adjusted index for March compared to February for the total industry shows a growth of 1.5 percent, and for processing industry by 2.2 percent.
Observed by sector, in March of this year, compared to March of last year, there was a decrease of 0.6 percent in mining, a 2.0 percent decrease in the processing industry, and a 14.9 percent increase in electricity and gas supply.
The Republic Institute of Statistics also announced that, according to preliminary results, the turnover of goods in retail trade in March was 5.3 percent higher in current prices than in the same month of the previous year, and 9.0 percent lower in constant prices.
When comparing the first three months of this year with the same period last year, the turnover of goods in retail trade is higher in current prices by 11.3 percent and in constant prices lower by 4.1 percent.
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